Hayley and the Crushers “Unsubscribe”

“’Unsubscribe’ is directly connected to our feelings about creative expression and underground music scenes,” says frontwoman/guitarist Hayley Cain of melodic punk band Hayley and the Crushers about the band’s zippy and vigorous first single off their upcoming EP (Unsubscribe from the Underground – out September 10, 2024 via Kitten Robot Records). She says the song was written from the perspective of a music scene veteran who sees unfamiliar people come in and make changes. “Creative environments and communities are always fraught with this tension of new and old, reverence for the past and the courage to push forward,” she adds. “At some point, the bubble bursts and things start changing. Maybe that’s neither a good nor bad thing. But it’s always rich territory!”

The band, comprised of married team Hayley Crusher Cain and bass player Dr. Cain ESQ, know a thing or two about new territory as they moved across the country to Detroit in 2022, enticed by the eclectic music scene, cheap cost of living and touring possibilities that the Midwest provided (to keep their West Coast mentality in check though they’ve kept a homebase in San Luis Obispo, California).

Written and produced in transition from California to Detroit, Unsubscribe from the Underground follows the band’s 2022 album, Modern Adult Kicks (a powerful blend of retro-futurism, classic pop radio and their pretty-in-punk attitude) and features a rawer sound than the band’s trademark sugar-coated punk rock. On Unsubscribe from the Underground, there’s a deceptively nostalgic pop punk anthem (“Alleyways”); a pedal steel-tinged 60s girl group-inspired ballad (“Blood Treasure”); a rowdy-yet-thoughtful take on Millennial freedom of choice (“Let Go”); and capping off the EP is a gleefully unhewn cover of Juice Newton’s 1981 country hit (“Queen of Hearts”). “We recorded half of our new songs in our lead guitarist’s Detroit basement and the other half at Josie Cotton’s beautiful LA Kitten Robot studio. I think that says a lot right there,” Hayley chimes in about the juxtaposition in sound. “In that way, they hold some grit and some glitz, never really teetering to one side more than the other. As a band, I think that’s where we feel most at home.” 
 
Although Hayley came up in the punk rock world of Southern California backyard shows, the self-proclaimed “poolside glitter trash” band tends to gravitate towards  sunshine and sparkle, even while investigating  darkness and woe. Hayley says the vibe of the EP is in “ode to being true to yourself within any specific music or social scene,” mentioning how existing as an individual bound by a particular subculture can be absurd, restrictive and funny at times. “I love the fact that these new sonic systems of categorization are breaking up and new artists are a lot more free to play with styles, buck the status quo and make their own weird genres. Rock and roll has been dead for a long time, and good riddance! We don’t need another rock band. The world won’t be saved by a bunch of cool dudes with guitars.”

Hayley and the Crushers’ new single “Unsubscribe” is out now. Their upcoming EP Unsubscribe from the Underground will be available on all platforms via Kitten Robot Records on September 10, 2024.

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